Bottle-stopper.



A. G. APPLETON.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

APPLIOATION FILED APILZB, 190a.

Patented Oct. 11,1910.

WITNESSES: #6? M My 72 FTQE.

ALFORD C. APPLETON, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HAYNER DISTILLING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BOTTLE-STOPPEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 28, 1909.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910. Serial No. 492,703.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALronn C. APPLETON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomery, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Stoppers, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle stoppers wherein the stopper is provided with a locking device to prevent unauthorized persons from having access to the contents of the bottle; and it is among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel form of stopper which shall make the same applicable to an ordinary form of bottle and at the same time provide a simple and eflicient locking means which may be incorporated as part of the stopper without at the same time tending to permit any leakage.

In certain forms of stoppers hitherto designed, the locking mechanism for such stoppers has been contained in a casing mounted above the resilient cork portion of the stopper. By such former means the resilient cork portion prevented the liquid from gaining access to the upper portion of the stopper containing the locking mechanism. But this necessitated the formation of a groove or recess in the bottle above the cork portion of the stopper. The device herein described does away with the necessity of forming any special groove in the interior of the neck of the bottle, since the present form is adapted for use in an ordinary bottle by having the locking mechanism situated below the cork portion of the stopper and the locking parts of the stopper engaging beneath the ordinary shoulder at the lower part of the neck of the'bottle. In cooperation with such a form of device, novel packing devices are utilized to prevent leakage of the contents of the bottle.

With these and incidental objects in View the invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts, a preferred form of embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawings forming part of the pres ent specification.

Of said drawings, Figure 1 represents a cross-sectional View through the neck of the bottle and the improved form of stopper: Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the stopper; Fig. 3 represents a cross section of upper part of the neck of the bottle and has attached at its lower end the locking mechanism. This locking mechanism is inclos'ed in a cylindrical casing 13, which is shown enlarged in Fig. 5. The upper side or plate 15 of this casing is provided with prongs 14:, which may be driven up into the cork 12 so as to hold the casing to the cork and prevent relative rotation of the two. The bottom plate 16 of the casing is attached to the easing by means of screws or other suitable means so that the locking mechanism and other parts may be inserted or removed by taking off this bottom plate 16.

A recess 17 formed in the lower plate 16, serves as a socket for the reduced lower end of an operating shaft 20, which extends vertically upward through the locking casing and through the cork, and at its upper end is provided with a knurled knob 21 suitable for being grasped by the hand of the operator and rotated to turn the shaft for the purposes described.

The lower end of the shaft 20 is enlarged in diameter at its lower end, as at 22, which enlarged portion is included within the upper plate 15 and lower plate 16 of the casing. The lower plate 16 is formed with two radial grooves 23,. in which slide two locking dogs 24, on opposite sides of the shaft 20. These locking dogs 24 project through slots 25, formed in the side walls of the casing and thereby cooperate with the aforesaid locking shoulders 11 of the bottle. Thus, when the dogs project outward in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the dogs engage said shoulder and prevent the stopper from being withdrawn. The control of these locking dogs is governed by two tumbler disks, an upper disk 30 and a lower disk 31. These two disks are shown in detail in Fig. 4. The upper disk 30 has projecting downward from its under side a lug 32, and the lower disk has an upwardly projecting lug 33.

The upper disk 30 is fast to the enlarged portion 22 of the shaft 20 so as to turn therewith and with the knurled knob 21. The lower disk 31 is loose upon said enlarged portion 22 of the shaft 20, but upon the rotation of the upper disk 30 this lug 32 strikes the lug 33 and thereby rotates the disk 31. The upper disk 30 is formed with diametrically opposite notches 10, the sides of which are inclined or beveled as shown in Fig. 1. The lower disk 31 is formed with notches 41, also diametrically opposite on this disk. \Vhen these two sets of notches are in alinement with the two locking dogs 2 1, the dogs are free to slide inward. In such position the upward pulling on the stopper causes the beveled sides of the lock ing shoulder 11 to cam the locking dogs inward and thus permit the stopper to be withdrawn, the alinement of said notches 10 and ll with the locking dogs permitting the inward movement of the latter.

hen the stopper is pushed down into place and it is desired to lock the same, the knob 21 is turned, thereby rotating the shaft 20, and the rotation of the upper disk 30 causes its inclined walls of the notches to cam the dogs 24v outward into the locking position to engage the shoulders 11. And as soon as the notches 10 are out of alinement with the dogs, the dogsare positively locked in this outward position and the stopper cannot be withdrawn. Furthermore, the rotation of the upper disk 30 then at a certain point will start to rotate the lower disk 31 through the lugs 32 and 33, and this moves the notches 41 from alinement with the dog's 3st and thus further serves to lock the dogs outward. In order to determine the proper setting position of these tumbler disks 30 and 31 to permit authorized access to the bottle, there is a dial at the top of the stopper, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This dial has sloping sides and a fiat top. The sides bear numerals, over which travels the pointer 51 which is attached to the knurled knob 21 and shaft 20. A plate 52 is seated on top of the cork portion of the stopper and is bent around the dial 50, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to hold the same in place. By this means the rotation of the knurled knob, 21 permits the operator to turn the shaft 20 to a certain position determined by the pointer, showing a certain numeral on the dial, and the operator then knows that the lower disk 31 has been rotated to a proper extent to bring its notches in alinement with the locking dogs, the direction of rotation of the knob being an element in this setting movement.- Then the knob is turned so that the pointer indicates another numeral on the dial and the operator then knows that the upper disk is in position to bring its notches L0 in alinement with the locking dogs. These two movements therefore being under the control of the authorized person by reason of his knowing the proper combination, serve to unlock the stopper and permit the same to be withdrawn. In assembling this stopper, the shaft 20 is first taken without any knob 21 at the top, and the tumbler disks 30 and 31 are slipped over the enlarged portion 22 at the lower end of the shaft, and then the shaft is projected upward through the central bore of the resilient cork. Then the locking dogs 2 are put within the easing projecting through the slots 25, and the lower plate 16 of the casing is then screwed on with the dogs properly seated in their grooves in the plate 16. Then the upper end of the shaft 20, projecting through the top of the stopper and above the dial 50, has the knurled knob secured on at the upper end of the shaft, and by means of this knob and the pointer 51 resting on the upper part of the dial, the shaft 20 is then firmly held in vertical position, so that it cannot drop downward out of place. This, therefore, by means of the enlarged portion 22 of the shaft 20, firmly holds the lock containing casing in engagement with the bottom part of the resilient cork 12, so that these parts cannot become separated. It will be apparent that with this locking casing situated below the resilient cork, the liquid which is contained in the bottle, thereby has access to this locking mechanism through the slots 25 above mentioned. In order, therefore, to prevent the leakage of this liquid up through the stopper, a packing means is employed, as will now be described. Surrounding the central operating shaft 20 is a sleeve 60, which has a plate 61 screwed on to its upper end to hold the sleeve in place, this head 61 resting on the aforesaid plate 52, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower end of the sleeve 60 is provided with a horizontally projecting flange 62; and between this flange and the upper plate 15 of the locking casing there is interposed a layer of packing which tightly fits around the shaft 20 and between the plate 15 and flange 62. The flange (32 holds the sleeve 60 from upward movement, and the tight clamping of the locking casing up against the stopper, as just previously described, holds this packing 63 firmly in place and prevents leakage along the shaft 21 or along the outside of the sleeve 60. By this means the additional benefit is secured of permitting such locking device to be situated at the lower portion of the stopper below the resilient cork, so that the locking dogs may, if desired, be situated to engage under the ordinary shoulder, which is found in ordinary bottles where the neck joins the body of the bottle. This, therefore, dispenses with the necessity of a specially formed groove or locking recess in the interior of the bottle neck, which has to be done where the resilient cork is situated below the locking mechanism instead of above, as in the present case.

\Vhile the above description applies to the preferred form of embodiment which has been adopted to secure the results aimed at, yet it is to be understood that these various parts may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a slotted casing attached at the lower end of said cork and adapted to contain locking mechanism; a locking dog projecting through the slot in said casing for engagement with a locking shoulder formed in said bottle below said cork; an operating shaft extending upward from the interior of said casing and through said cork to the exterior of the stopper; lock controlling means carried by the lower end of said shaft for controlling the position of said dog as to looking or unlocking adjustment; and packing material contained between said casing, said shaft and said cork for preventing leakage of the contained liquid through said lock casing and said cork.

2. In a bottle stopper of the kind de scribed, the combination with a resilient cork, of a slotted casing attached at the lower end of said cork and adapted to contain locking mechanism; a locking dog projecting through the slot in said casing for engagement with a locking shoulder formed in said bottle below said cork; an operating shaft extending upward from the interior of said casing and through said cork to the exterior of the stopper; lock controlling means carried by the lower end of said shaft for controlling the position of said dog as to locking and unlocking adjustment; means for holding the said casing in engagement with the lower end of said cork; a sleeve surrounding said operating shaft between the same and the cork; and packing material located at the lower end of said sleeve between the cork, the sleeve, the shaft and the casing, for preventing leakage of the contained liquid through the lock casing and cork.

3. In a bottle stopper of the kind described, the combination with a resilient cork, of a slotted casing attached at the lower end of said cork, and adapted to contain locking mechanism; a locking dog projecting through the slot in said casing for engagement with a locking shoulder formed in said bottle below said cork, said dog traveling in a groove formed in the base of said casing; a central operating shaft extending upward from the interior of the said casing and through said cork to the exterior of the stopper; means attached to the outer end of in place; a tumbler disk attached to the lower end of said shaft and formed with a notch, said disk controlling the locking and unlocking positions of said dog; and packing material contained between said casing, said shaft and said cork for preventing leakage.

4. In a bottle stopper of the kind de scribed, the combination with a resilient cork, of a slotted casing attached at the lower end of said cork, and adapted to contain locking mechanism; a locking dog projecting through the slot in said casing for engagement with a locking shoulder formed in said bottle below said cork, said dog traveling in a groove formed in the base of said casing; a central operating shaft extending upward from the interior of the said casing and through said cork to the exterior of the stopper; means attached to the outer end of said shaft for holding the shaft vertically in place; indicating means connected and cooperating with the said shaft to indicate its position of rotation; projecting means on the lower end of said shaft within said casing to cause the shaft to hold the casing in contact with the stopper; a tumbler disk having provisions for cooperating with the locking dog to control the locking adjustment thereof upon the rotation of the said shaft; and packing material contained between said casing, said shaft, and said cork, for preventing leakage.

5. In a bottle stopper of the kind de scribed, the combination with a resilient cork, of a slotted casing attached at the lower end of said cork, and adapted to contain locking mechanism; a locking dog projecting through the slot in said casing for engagement with a'locking shoulder formed in said bottle below said cork, said dog traveling in a groove formed in the base of said casing; a central operating shaft extending upward from the interior of the said casing and through said cork to the exterior of the stopper; means attached to the outer end of said shaft for holding the shaft vertically in place; indicating means connected and cooperating with the said shaft to indicate its position of rotation; projecting means on the lower end of said shaft within said casing to cause the shaft to hold the casing in contact with the stopper; a tumbler disk formed with a recess cooperating with said locking dog, said disk being attached to the lower end of said shaft within said casing and operating to l control the locking adjustment of said dog;

a sleeve surrounding said shaft and between the same and the cork; and packing material contained between said casing, said sleeve, said shaft, and said cork, for preventing leakage.

G. In a bottle stopper of the kind desaid shaft for holding the shaft vertically scribed, the combination with a resilient cork conforming to the neck of the bottle, of a cylindrical slotted casing attached at the lower end of said cork and adapted to contain a locking mechanism; projections extending upward from said casing into said cork to prevent relative rotation of the two; locking dogs projecting through the slots in said casing for engagement with a locking shoulder formed in said bottle below said cork; a central operating shaft socketed at its lower end in the base plate of said casing and extending vertically upward through said cork to the exterior of said stopper; a dial at the upper end of said cork and provided with characters for indi cating purposes; a knob attached to the upper end of said shaft and seated upon said dial to hold the shaft from vertical depression said knob also being provided with an indicating pointer traveling over said dial; an enlargement on the lower end of said shaft within said casing to engage the upper plate of said casing and hold the casing attached to said cork; tumbler disks surrounding the lower end of said shaft and rotated thereby said disks being provided with notches cooperating with said locking dogs; a sleeve surrounding said central shaft and extending from said d1al through the cork into proximity with said lock casing; and packing material located between the lower end of said sleeve and said casing to prevent leakage, substantially as described.

7. In a bottle stopper of the kind described the combination with a resilient cork, of a casing attached at the lower end of said cork; locking mechanism contained within said casing for locking the stopper to the bottle; means located at the outer end of said stopper and connected with said locking mechanism for controlling the latter to lock or unlock the stopper; and packing material located adjacent to the cork and to the casing and the lock controlling mecha nism for preventing leakage of the contained liquid through the locked casing and the cork.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFORD C. APPLETON.

Vitnesses:

GEORGE C. KAEFER VVALTER KiDDER. 

